Door opening mechanism

ABSTRACT

A hopper discharge arrangement for emptying the contents of a hopper and including a pivoted door disposed beneath the hopper and connected to a crank and link type of linkage mechanism. The crank member has an integrally formed ratchet gear disposed on one end and a locking bar positioned adjacent the crank member to maintain the doors closed and allow gradual stepped closing of the doors by engagement of the locking bar with a tooth of the ratchet gear. The locking bar adjacent the crank member includes a cam portion engageable with the crank to move same into the overcenter unlocked position upon unlocking rotation of the locking bar.

United States Patent 1 1 Tamborski 1 51 May 1, 1973 [52] US. Cl. ..105/253, 105/299, 105/304, 105/308 R, 105/308 E, 105/312 [51] Int. Cl. ..B6ld 7/18 [58] Field of Search 105/253, 290, 296, 105/299, 304, 306, 308, 312

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,491 766 4 1924 Hart et a1. 105/299 3,469.539 9/1969 Damy ...lO5/308 E 3,543,691 12 1970 Nagy ..105/290 Primary ExaminerRobert G. Sheridan Assistant ExaminerLawrence .l. Oresky AttorneyHilmond O. Vogel and Richard J. Myers 5 7 ABSTRACT A hopper discharge arrangement for emptying the contents of a hopper and including a pivoted door disposed beneath the hopper and connected to a crank and link type of linkage mechanism. The crank member has an integrally formed ratchet gear disposed on one end and a locking bar positioned adjacent the crank member to maintain the doors closed and allow gradual stepped closing of the doors by engagement of the locking bar with a tooth of the ratchet gear. The locking bar adjacent the crank member includes a cam portion engageable with the crank to move same into the overcenter unlocked position upon unlocking rotation of the locking bar.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Patented May 1, 1973 3,730,106

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ROBERT S. TAMBORSKI PATENT AGEN'T Patented May 1, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ROBERT S. TAMBORSKI BY 9M 4%.;

PATENT AGENT DOOR OPENING MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention:

This invention relates generally to door actuating mechanisms and in particular to those of the crank and link variety having a door opening, closing and locking device associated therewith.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

Prior art references have sought to solve the problem of opening a heavily loaded hopper discharge gate without injury to operating personnel. These solutions generally have involved lost motion type of arrangement such as that illustrated in Keithley U.S. Pat. No. 1,271,474 and Gallagher U.S. Pat. No. 1,475,572. Both of these also include a gear and a detent type of locking arrangement wherein the detent is manually disengaged from the linkage prior to rotation of the crank member to the over-center unlocking position. As noted in both the Keithley and the Gallagher patents, opening of the hopper doors involved a two-step operation. namely, unlocking the linkage mechanism and secondly, rotating the crank and link arrangement into the over-center position. Because of the lost motion feature which must be provided to protect the operator these methods are rendered undesirable because of manufacturing requirements and the high number of parts necessary to achieve the desired safe and operational features. In the present invention unlocking and opening of the discharge doors is accomplished by a single operation. Rotation of an unlocking bar unlocks the crank and also urges the crank into the over-center position wherein the hopper door may be pivoted. Thus, it is noted that with the present invention there is no requirement for a lost motion type of connection to protect the operator from the sudden rapid opening of the discharge door and the accompanying danger of a rapidly rotating unlocking bar which is commonly used to rotate the door mechanism to open doors.

SUMMARY The present invention pertains to hopper discharge arrangements and in particular to discharge arrangements employing a crank and link type actuating mechanism. The present invention employs a locking bar coacting with a ratchet type of indexing means associated with the crank member. Movement of the locking bar from the locked position causes a cam portion of the locking bar to engage the crank and urge the crank into the past-center position from where the doors will open from the force of the lading.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hopper discharge door operating mechanism including a locking member engageable therewith.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking member for engagement with a door operating mechanism and said locking member having an associated cam portion engageable with the door operating mechanism whereby unlocking of the mechanism is accompanied by a camming movement of the locking member in cooperation with a link of the door operating mechanism to thereby open the hopper doors.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hopper discharge door operating mechanism employing a crank and link type of operating linkage and including an indexing means to permit gradual stepped closing of the hopper doors.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a discharge door operating mechanism including a cooperating locking and operating bar member accessible from either side of the hopper to permit Opening and closing of the discharge door from either side of the hopper.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified hopper discharge door operating mechanism whereby a crank and link type actuating linkage is employed and includes a locking and unlocking member which is simplified, easy to manufacture and assemble, reliable and easy and safe to operate.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from reference to the following description, attached drawings, and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of a portion of a hopper discharge arrangement including the operating mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the hopper discharge mechanism of FIG. 1 with the discharge door partially open, shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the hopper discharge arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION The present invention contemplates an improved railway hopper car door operating mechanism and includes, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a hopper discharge device 10 including a pivoted door 12 and an actuating linkage mechanism 14 associated therewith and operatively connected thereto. The discharge device 10 includes slope sheets 16 disposed to aid in the complete removal of lading from the interior of the hopper and end sheets 18 also utilized in directing the contents of the hopper to the discharge opening. A mounting flange 20 extends around the top or upper periphery of the discharge device 10 and may be welded or attached by threaded fasteners to the underside of the hopper structure.

The pivoted discharge door 12 is pivoted at 22 by a standard lug and pin type of connection. A reinforcing member 24 is used to prevent twisting of the door and also utilized for mounting the door to the pivot 22. The main body portion of the door includes a door plate 26 which extends the entire length and width of the discharge opening to completely seal the opening when the door is in the closed position.

The hopper door actuating mechanism 14, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, is of the crank and link variety and includes the usual pivoted crank member 28 rotatable about a fixed pivot point and including integrally formed ratchet teeth or indexing means 29. The crank 28 is also pivotally attached to the floating link member 30 which extends between and connects the crank 28 with the pivoted discharge door 12. Link 30 is pivotally attached at 32 by a lug and pin type of pivotal connection. A connecting pin 34 completes the connection between the door and link pivot 32 and and the main body of the link 30, and includes a threaded portion 35 extending into the lug 32 to provide length adjustment for the link 30. The connecting pin is securely fastened to the link 30 as by a weld. Opposite the connector pin 34, the link 30 is pivotally connected by a pin connection as at 36.

The crank member 28 is pivotally mounted on a fixedly supported shaft 38 having an end portion 39 to which is attached a usual capstan which is omitted from the drawings for purposes of clarity. The shaft 38 extends through and is mounted on and supported by the mounting bracket 40 which is attached to the underside of the slope sheet 16. As illustrated in the drawings, the shaft 38 extends through the bracket 40 and into an associated crank on the opposite side of crank 38 which is illustrated in the drawings. Only one side of the discharge mechanism is illustrated but it is to be understood that the opposite side includes the same components which are described herein and illustrated in the drawings.

Adjacent the crank 28 is a release and locking detent 42 having a ratchet engaging portion or nose 44 and also including a cam portion 46. The locking detent 42 is pivotally supported on shaft 48 which extends through bracket 40 and into an associated locking member on the opposite side of the hopper discharge device 10. The end or outer portion 49 of the shaft 48 includes a capstan for insertion of an unlocking bar but which has been omitted from the drawings for purposes of clarity.

As illustrated best in FIG. 2, a stop bar 50 is fixedly mounted on the bracket 40 and so positioned as to restrict rotation of the crank 28 once the over-center or self-locking position of the linkage mechanism 14 has been reached. It is understood that the stop bar may be of any convenient configuration or construction but as illustrated here a block type of stop which is welded to the mounting bracket 40 has been utilized for simplicity and ease of assembly and alignment.

THE OPERATION The description of the operation will be best understood with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and the description will proceed from the steps used in unlocking and opening the hopper door and terminate with the description of the operation involved in closing the hopper doors. As noted in FIG. 2, with the solid line illustration, when the pivoted door 12 is in the fully closedand locked position the nose portion 44 of the locking detent 42 abuts an adjacent ratchet tooth and thereby prevents counterclockwise rotation of the associated crank member. Positioning of the locking detent 42 relative to the crank member 28 is so designed that the lock will. remain engaged with the associated ratchet tooth as forces are applied to the door which tend to rotate the crank in a counterclockwise direction. This type of feature is known as a selflocking force distribution and retains the locking bar in a locked position without the utilization of additional lock securing members. Theoretically, when the door is in the overcenter locked position the forces on the door caused by lading tend to rotate the crank in a clockwise direction and in fact, at least theoretically, the lock 42 is not needed in this position. However, it must be realized that in actuality the situation does not always exist and during transport and movement of the hopper and of the railway vehicle inertia forces generated by impacts and bumping and rocking of the vehicle tend to move the crank past the over-center position and unlock or open the doors. This contingency must be protected against and the lock in the position just described fills this requirement.

To open the hopper doors the capstan attached to the end portion 49 of the shaft 48 is engaged by a typical locking bar which rotates the locking detent in a counterclockwise direction to the position shown by phantom lines in FIG. 2. This rotation disengages the nose 44 from the restraining abutting relation with an associated ratchet tooth and also moves the cam portion 46 into engagement with the adjacent crank member 28. This contact or engagement between the cam portion 46 and the crank 28 provides a force transfer or a high mechanical advantage between the locking member 42 and the crank 28 and facilitates slowly but with a high force multiplication rotating the crank 28 in a counterclockwise direction and past its over-center locked position at which point lading forces on the door will pull the crank rapidly in a counterclockwise direction as the door swings open.

The closing of the hopper door involves rotating the crank 28 in a clockwise direction. To do so the bar which was inserted in the capstan of the locking member 42 is inserted into the capstan attached on the end of the crank shaft 38 as at 39 and the crank is thereby rotated in a clockwise direction. As the shaft.

38 is turned the amount of rotation remains when the turning force is removed from the capstan. It is seen that the nose portion 44 of the locking detent 42 will ride over the ratchet teeth as the crank rotates in a clockwise direction dropping in between adjacent teeth to thereby prevent clockwise rotation of the crank from a given rotated position. This permits ease of closing the hopper door and also allows for a metered or gradual discharge of the hoppers so far as after initial opening of the hopper door it can be closed gradually to meter the flow of contents from the interior of the hopper. Closing of the hopper door 12 is completed when the crank 28 has been rotated to abut the stop bar 50 at which time the linkage will assume the position i1- lustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

What is claimed is:

l. A hopper discharge device including:

a hopper car body having converging slope sheets defining a discharge opening;

discharge door means pivotally attached to said car body adjacent the discharge opening;

a door link member having a first end portion pivotally attached to said discharge door, and having a second end portion;

a crank member having a pivot attached to said hopper car body and having a free end pivotally connected to the second end portion of the door link member;

indexing means attached to said crank member for rotation therewith;

a locking bar pivotally attached to said hopper car body wherein the locking bar has a portion engageable with the indexing means to lock the crank means in any one of a plurality of positions corresponding to a plurality of positions of said discharge door in intermediate positions between fully opened and fully closed, as well as in the fully closed position, further said locking bar having a portion engageable with the crank member to cam said crank member past an over-center locked position when said bar is pivoted to disengage said indexing means to thereby permit rapid opening movement of said discharge door.

meme 4. The invention according to claim 1 and:

said link including a length adjusting portion comprising interconnected threaded members to thereby provide for adjustable spacing between said first end portion and said second end portion of the link. 

1. A hopper discharge device including: a hopper car body having converging slope sheets defining a discharge opening; discharge door means pivotally attached to said car body adjacent the discharge opening; a door link member having a first end portion pivotally attached to said discharge door, and having a second end portion; a crank member having a pivot attached to said hopper car body and having a free end pivotally connected to the second end portion of the door link member; indexing means attached to said crank member for rotation therewith; a locking bar pivotally attached to said hopper car body wherein the locking bar has a portion engageable with the indexing means to lock the crank means in any one of a plurality of positions corresponding to a plurality of positions of said discharge door in intermediate positions between fully opened and fully closed, as well as in the fully closed position, further said locking bar having a portion engageable with the crank member to cam said crank member past an over-center locked position when said bar is pivoted to disengage said indexing means to thereby permit rapid opening movement of said discharge door.
 2. The invention according to claim 1, and: said indexing means being a ratchet gear formed integrally with said crank and rotatable concentrically with the crank pivot.
 3. The invention according to claim 1, and: said locking bar pivotally attached to said car body adjacent said indexing means and having a locking nose portion urged by gravity into engagement with the indexing means during door closing movement.
 4. The invention according to claim 1, and: said link including a length adjusting portion comprising interconnected threaded members to thereby provide for adjustable spacing between said first end portion and said second end portion of the link. 